Tight fill connection for a fluid delivery system



Dec. 30, 1958 G. M. scHUTTER 2,866,473

TIGHT FILL CONNECTION FOR A FLUID DELIVERY SYSTEM Filed May 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 30, 1958 Gf M. scHuT'rER 2,866,473

TIGHT FILL commc'rxon FoR A FLUID DELIVERY SYSTEM F'ii'ed May 12, 195s 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Unite TIGHT FILL CNNECTION FOR A FLUID DELIVERY SYSTEM George M Schutter, West Newton, Mass., assigner to Scully Signal Company, Melrose, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts f Application May 12, 1955, Serial No. 507,763 n( s claims. (cl. 137-560) This invention relates to nozzles of the type commonly used in the delivery of fuel oil to household fuel tanks. The customary practice at present in the delivery of household fuel oil is for the driver of the tank truck to stop at the house, carry the-hose to the ll pipe f the tank and open the fill pipe by removing thepthreaded plug or cap` that closes the end of the v,fill pipe. The operator then places the spout of the nozzle in the fill pipe, thereby forming a loose connection between` the tions, any attempt to till the tank at Vtoo 'fast a rate will cause the fuel oil to blow back and spill from the end of the fill pipe.

An alternative and improved method has come into use in recent years in which a so-called tight-fill connection, is applied to the end of theiill pipe after the plug Vorjcap has been removed. The tight-till connection includes a housing carrying an annular rubber gasket, the

hole of whichis somewhat smaller than the spout of the nozzle. The nozzle is forced through the gasket making a tight seal with the spout and enabling the operator to fill the tank at the maximum rate without the possibility of a blow back.V This arrangement also eliminates the chance of the nozzle falling out of the fill pipe accidentally during the filling operation.

The present inventio-n constitutes an advance over the aforesaid procedures in that it achieves a tight till connection but eliminates the necessity of applying to the fill pipe at each house, prior to the delivery ofv fuel oil, the tight iill connection heretofore described. By the present invention, the end of the fill pipe at each house is prepared and left in a condition where it may receive the nozzle directly in a liquid tight joint, the connection being made in a matter of seconds, Thus the advantage of the previous type of tight lill connection permitting the delivery of fuel oil at a maximum rate is present, coupled with a substantial saving in time in making the connection ready for use.

As will be explained more particularly hereinafter,v

tubular elements of a special character are applied to both the till pipe and the nozzle. These elements are complementary so that the nozzle may be quickly and easily connected directly to the till pipe. In addition, the element attached to the fill pipe is adapted to receive a quickly removable cap and the element attached to the nozzle is adapted to facilitate the unlocking and removal ofthe .said cap, thereby making it unnecessary for the operator to possess a separate wrench for this purpose.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages `of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same States Patent O becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic elevation showing a typical arrangement of a fuel oil tank in a cellar with the usual lill and vent pipes extending to the exterior of the building; a nozzle is shown attached to the fill pipe by means of the tight till connection provided according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation showing (a) the end of the fill pipe in its normal closed condition when the tank is not beinglled, the tubular connector element or adaptor for the lill pipe being shown in section, and (b) the end of a nozzle having a complementary tubular connector element or spud positioned in proximity with the end of the ll pipe preparatory to removal of the cap carried by the connector element or adaptor of the fill pipe;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the nozzle and fill pipe secured together in uidtight relation by means of the tight lill connection provided according to the present invention, the elements of the tight till connection being in section to show details thereof;

Fig. 4 is an end view looking from left to right o-f the fill pipe adaptor element illustrated in Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the ll pipe adaptor element, end views of which are shown in Figs. 4 and 6;

Fig. 6 is an end View looking from right to left of the same ll pipe adaptor element;

Fig. 7 is an end view looking into the nozzle connector element or spud, from the nozzle toward the fill pipe;

Fig. 8 is an end view of the same nozzle connector element or Spud looking from the till pipe toward the nozzle;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the adaptor and cap. aixed thereto, as shown in section in Fig. 2, looking from the discharge end of the adaptor toward the cap; and

Fig. 10 is an end View showing the outside of the same cap member.

Referring first to Fig. l, a fuel oil tank 2 mounted in the usual manner on legs 4 on the tio-or 6 of the basement of a building 8 has a lill pipe l@ and a vent pipe 12 arranged in the usual manner to pass outwardly through the cellar wall to the exterior of the building as at 14'and 16. In the arrangement shown, the outer end of the fill pipe has an elbow lil which would ordinarily be closed by a typical screw threaded plug except when the tank is being filled. The plug is not shown in the drawings as it constitutes no part of the present invention.

The elbow 1S of 45, as shown in enlarged detail in Figs. 2 and 3, but which may be 90 if preferred and if space is available, is utilized in the following manner'. A tubular fill pipe connector element hereinafter identified as lill pipe adaptor Ztl is provided at its inner end which end is connected to elbow 18 with exterior standard pipe threads 22 which mate lwith corresponding standard pipe threads 24 of elbow 13. Adaptor 20 is secured in place tightly and allowed to remain in this position permanently. At its outer end adaptor 20 is provided with a cylindrical extension 26 whose inner surface 23 tapers inwardly and terminates in an annular shoulder 30; The inner surface of shoulder 3h is notched to provide a plurality of lugs 32 which define a polygonal cross section (Fig. 4) adapted to facilitate removal and attachment of the adaptor relative to elbow i3. The exterior surface of cylindrical extension 26 is provided with special coarse threads 34 which mate with corresponding special coarse threads provided on the interior surface of a removable cap 36 and also with corresponding interior threads of the nozzle connector element soon to be described.

Cap 36 has an annular groove which may or may not Patented Dec. 30, 1958 `be provided witha resilient washer or gasket 40. Washer 40 engages the end surface of cylindrical extension 26 to make a fluid-tight connection between it and the cap. Cap 36 is provided with a raised portion 42 of any polygonal cross section, e. g. pentagonal, square, or hexagonal, to permit the cap to be tightened or loosened by a wrench or by the nozzle coupling assembly `as hereinafter explained. The pentagonal form is especially useful as it renders the cap more diicult to remove without a special wrench, thus discouraging unauthorized opening of the lill pipe.

A plurality of exterior lugs 44 are provided to permit the cap to be turned by hand. Cap 36 is removed each `time the tank is to be filled and replaced immediately thereafter and may be made tight by using the nozzle as a wrench in a manner to be explained so that it cannot be removed by hand, thus preventing the fill pipe from being opened by children or other unauthorized persons who might be tempted to remove the cap.

Provided especially for use with adaptor 20 to make a tight fit connection therewith is a complementary connector element hereinafter referred to as the nozzle coupling assembly 50.

Nozzle coupling assembly 50 comprises a spud 52 having exterior standard pipe threads 54 at its rear or nozzle end for engagement with corresponding standard pipe threads 56 in the end of a nozzle 58. At its forward end away from the nozzle, spud 52 is of larger diameter with its leading exterior surface conforming to the corresponding interior surface of the adaptor. These ymating surfaces in the form shown are tapered.

A resilient sealing member 62, for example, an O-ring, is carried in a groove in the exterior surface of flange 60 immediately adjacent the forward end of nozzle spud 52. The interior surface of nozzle spud 52 in the region of ange 60 is provided with a polygonal configuration, as indicated at 64, Figs. 7 and 8, so as to adapt it to receive either the raised portion 42 of cap 36, or a suitable wrench to be used for initial installation of spud 52 in the nozzle 53. A coupling member or nut 70 is loosely carried by nozzle Spud 52. A lock ring 66 received by a corresponding groove in the exterior surface of spud 52 is provided to keep nut 70 in place on Spud 52 prior to installation and thereafter during normal use, to protect the resilient sealing member 62 from damage due to dragging and abuse of the nozzle assembly. Nut 70 has an inwardly extending flange 72 which is beveled to rest on the rear surface 74 of exterior flange 60. Nut 7d is also provided with special coarse pitch interior threads .76 adapted to engage the corresponding exterior threads on cylindrical extension 26 of thc till pipe adaptor so the spud and the adaptor may be positively and quickly locked together in fluidtight engagement. Nut 70 is also provided with exterior lugs 73 for facilitating tightening of the coupling by hand.

It is intended that the nozzle spud 52 will be allowed to remain secured to the nozzle 58 permanently if a substantial proportion of the installations serviced by the operator are provided with a lill pipe adaptor of the type described hereinabove. However, in the event that some of the installations serviced by the operator have not been provided with a fill pipe adaptor, a special spout with a fitting adapted to engage and be secured to the nozzle coupling assembly 5d by the nut 70 is provided, whereby the nozzle 53 may in a few seconds be converted to a conventional nozzle with spout. The nozzle spud 52 may be removed or installed by inserting a suitable wrench into the region having the polygonal surface indicated at 6ft and turning the wrench to loosen or tighten the adaptor.

When the operators nozzle is provided with a nozzle assembly and it is desired to supply iiuid to a tank whose fill pipe has a complementary fill pipe adaptor 28, ttecap 36 secured to the end ofthe fill pipe coupling assembly 50 may be removed by means of the nozzle adaptor instead of a wrench. The assembly 58 as seen in Fig. l is generally in the form of an elbow, turning to a position at a substantial angle to the axis of the coupling assembly 50, which assembly includes the Spud 52. The elbow formation gives the necessary wrenchlike leverage. Removal of cap 36 is achieved by placing the `nozzle spud of the coupling assembly in proximity with the ll pipe adaptor so that the raised portion 42 of the cap 36 extends within the nozzle spud in engagement with the polygonally shaped inner surface 64 of the nozzle-Spud. Upon twisting the nozzle counterclockwise, the cap becomes loosened by virtue of the positive engagement between its raised portion 42 and the inside surface 64 of the nozzle Spud. Once the cap has been loosened it may be removed by hand, the lugs 44 acting to provide a suitable grip. After the cap has been removed, the operator then inserts the ange portion 60 of the nozzle spud 52 inside the outer end of the fill pipe adaptor 20. The nut 70 is then screwed on to the fill pipe adaptor, as shown in Fig. 3.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that the two connectors which are permanently aixed to the elbow and the nozzle provide a tight connection, whereby when the nozzle is opened the fuel oil will ow directly into the fill pipe without leakage or danger of separation of the-nozzle from the fill pipe. When the lling is complete the nozzle may be disconnected by loosening the nut and withdrawing the nozzle Spud 52 from within the fill pipe adaptor 20. The cap 36 is then replaced and tightened by utilizing the nozzle spud which, as explained, is firmly screwed to the nozzle 58 and acts as a wrench.

'The interior configuration of the parts, the angles at which the elements are positioned, and the coupling thread sizes have all been selected with ease and speed of connecting and disconnecting in mind, combined with freedom from drip at the time of separation from the adaptors.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. Thus the same construction in essence may be adapted to the filling of any tank, such as the lling of underground gasoline tanks. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts specifically described or illustrated, and that within the scope of the appended claims it may practised otherwise than as specifically described or illustrated.

I claim:

1. In a fluid delivery system, the combination comprisinga iill pipe, a fill pipe adaptor fixedly secured to the entrance end of said till pipe, said adaptor being exterorly threaded to receive in relatively loose threaded engagement a correspondingly threaded cap which, when in position thereon, will close the entrance end of said lill pipe, said cap having an exterior projection polygonal in cross-section, a manually operable fluid delivery nozzle, a spud fixedly secured to the outlet end of said nozzle, the interior cross-sectional configuration of said spud being such as to receive and non-rotatably engage the said cap projection, said nozzle having part thereof extending at a substantial angle to the axis of said spud whereby said Spud and nozzle may be used as a wrench for screwing said cap on or olf said adaptor.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, said adaptor and Spud having interior and exterior cooperating mating surfaces respectively whereby said surfaces may be placed in engagement upon the removal of said cap from said adaptor, and a nut rotatably secured on said spud with threads adapted to be screwed to the threads of said adaptor, whereby said spud and adaptor may be held in cooperating engagement.

3. A manually operable uid delivery nozzle having a tubular spud secured to its outlet end, said nozzle being generally in the shape of an elbow and turning away from the axis of said spud, said spud at its fluid delivery end having an interior cross-sectional configuration adapted to non-rotatably receive a corresponding polygonal projection ofa threaded cap screwed on the entrance end of a v' ll pipe for a tank, said nozzle and spud capable of manipulation as a wrench for rotating said cap whereby such cap may be tightened on or loosened from the end of said ll pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 494,801 Weber Apr. 4, 1893 Massie Nov. 26, 1907 Copp Dec. 1, 1925 Anderson June 22, 1926 y Sheridan Jan. 16, 1940 Glab Nov. 2, 1943 Weatherhead Nov. 2, 1943' Quinlan Jan. 6, 1953 Romanelli Feb. 15, 1955 

